Wyeast smacked during shipping?

[winstonian]

Hi all - first timer here. Getting ready for my first ever brew, and ordered a couple kits online, upgraded to Wyeast Activator for one of the kits. It arrived yesterday and the packet was already smacked, but NOT inflated. I'm assuming this is because it never got up to a temperature for the yeast to activate. Right now it's sitting in the fridge.

I'm guessing when it's time to start the brew I just leave it sit out for a few hours and see if it inflates? Should I just get a new pack to be safe? Or try making a starter? I really don't want to screw up my first batch :-/

 

[Yooper]

Hi all - first timer here. Getting ready for my first ever brew, and ordered a couple kits online, upgraded to Wyeast Activator for one of the kits. It arrived yesterday and the packet was already smacked, but NOT inflated. I'm assuming this is because it never got up to a temperature for the yeast to activate. Right now it's sitting in the fridge.

I'm guessing when it's time to start the brew I just leave it sit out for a few hours and see if it inflates? Should I just get a new pack to be safe? Or try making a starter? I really don't want to screw up my first batch :-/

You should make a starter anyway, when you use liquid yeast, so that's a good thing to do. The package doesn't have to swell first- you can just make up the starter wort, cool it, and add the yeast to it.

 

[Seven]

Don't worry about the inflation or lack of inflation. Make a starter and that way you'll know if the yeast is good or not.

 

[duckmanco]

I've used several smack packs, shipped in all kinds of weather and some have swelled, and some have not. I had a pack of 1056 swell up enroute to me from NB in the summer even with the ice pack.... Hardly empirical data, but still.

All of them fermented out perfectly fine. Like most everything else, I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[midfielder5]

How do you know it was smacked?
There are two nutrients packs inside; last time one of mine was activated during shipping but the second one was intact. So I broke it and added to my starter. No probs.

But yes, a starter for liquid yeasts!
(or stick to dry yeast if you don't want to do that extra step).

 

[winstonian]

How do you know it was smacked?
There are two nutrients packs inside; last time one of mine was activated during shipping but the second one was intact. So I broke it and added to my starter. No probs.

But yes, a starter for liquid yeasts!
(or stick to dry yeast if you don't want to do that extra step).

True, I have no experience with a 'non-smacked' pack, but basically there's liquid throughout the entire foil pouch, and what feels like the remains of a bladder floating around inside there.

Off to read about making a starter...I like to do my own research, but any advice on that is appreciated as well!